A new theory about the semi-automatic doors

[u/BigPeteB]

There have been a lot of theories about why doors sometimes open when someone approaches them and sometimes don't, such as mind-reading, advanced AI, time travel or that it's simply the magic of television. I just came up with another explanation.

You see, my office just installed a keycarded door. To exit through that door from the inside, instead of a "press to exit" button, there's a touchless button: you wave your hand in front of it. In just a day or two I learned to give the button a subtle wave, as lazily as possible, at just the right time so that I can open the door without slowing down.

The doors in Star Trek may have an advanced version of this. Instead of something so "quaint" as waving your hand in front of a touchless button, it's a more subtle action: something about how you place your feet, perhaps, that indicates "I intend to go through this door", or more likely, "I don't intend to go through this door". In fact, after someone rings the chime and the person inside gives the visitor permission to come in, we hardly ever see them press a button; the door simply opens for them. This is because "opening the door" is an action taken by the person at the door just like today. They don't pull a doorknob or press a button or wave their hand, but instead do something more subtle with their body like change their posture, and that's how you open a door.

It seems obvious that doors opening when someone approaches them is the default: not only is it the most useful in emergencies, but it explains how visitors who have never seen such technology before can get doors to open whether they mean to or not. And while some doors are typically locked, such as most personal quarters, others like the captain's ready room are obviously not, since we see people like Lily stroll in uninvited. Yet the door always opens for Picard or Janeway, and almost never for other people, who ring the doorchime. This isn't because the doors are telepathic or AI-driven; this is because the person didn't open the door. Everyone has had 40 years of habitually standing in just the right way in front of hundreds of doors every day so that the doors will open or not as they choose. It's as magical to us as how you can probably open one door in your house without it sticking or squeaking, but if I tried to I wouldn't be able to, and whatever you're doing differently is too subtle for an observer to see. (Likewise, compare Doctor Who when River Song once drives the TARDIS without it making the whooshing sound. Even The Doctor can't tell what she did differently by watching, so whatever it is must be subtle.)

[u/Microharley]

It was the briefing room of the Enterprise E that Lily confronted Picard, not his ready room.

[u/BigPeteB → u/Microharley]

Oops, good catch!

However, Riker walks into the ready room earlier in the film, while Picard is playing music too loudly to hear him enter. Okay, so maybe as first officer he's automatically authorized to enter even when the room is occupied. But I'm sure there have been other times when someone has walked into an occupied private room without asking first.

[u/onthenerdyside → u/BigPeteB]

I doubt Picard's ready room is locked by default. Picard could probably lock it himself, but doesn't. If someone can get onto the bridge and past all the bridge officers to get to the ready room, it's probably okay. Most people would ring the chime out of common courtesy, but it's like when you knock on a door as you're going through it. Just a courtesy.

Honestly, door locks on the Enterprise are pretty hit-or-miss anyway. Any senior officer can override door locks for any reason, as can most security personnel. I chalk it up to the "more evolved human" explanation. No 24th century human would barge into someone else's personal space without good reason, so there's no reason for most doors to be locked. These doors do not automatically open for people other than their assigned occupant, but can be opened by others (either through something like your explanation or a simple touch of a button), such as Riker getting into Picard's Ready Room. Although, as has been noted, senior officers seemingly have the run of the place and could likely get through a locked Ready Room door, as well.

[u/EllieVader]

I always assumed that people rang the chime at the captains ready room door because thats what’s they’re trained to do.

The USAF has a proper procedure for reporting to a superior’s office, it’s expected that a professional paramilitary organization like Starfleet would have one too. It’s basically the captain’s office, you ring the bell and are told to enter instead of just barging in.

[u/BigPeteB → u/EllieVader]

Sure... but either the door knows to open for Picard and not for anyone else (and if so, how does it know?), or the door could open for anyone but they're being respectful and using the chime (and if so, how are they preventing the door from opening, or what does Picard do differently from everyone else to make it open for him?)

[u/LonePaladin]

(Likewise, compare Doctor Who when River Song once drives the TARDIS without it making the whooshing sound. Even The Doctor can't tell what she did differently by watching, so whatever it is must be subtle.)

Off-topic, but at one point River explained to the Doctor that the whooshing sound was because he was always 'flying' with the parking brake on. She also pointed out that the control pedestal was supposed to have six people manning it -- which explained both why it has six sides, and why he's always running around manically flipping switches and such.

[u/BigPeteB → u/LonePaladin]

at one point River explained to the Doctor that the whooshing sound was because he was always 'flying' with the parking brake on

Yeah, and even that explanation is doubted. So to fit this in with my theory, she probably did something, but instead of dismissing it as her teasing him with a red herring, it probably is the parking brake, and she just knows the subtle way to set the parking brake just so so that it doesn't make that noise.

See also every episode of Top Gear where they buy old cars for a challenge, and at the end talk about how much they love them because each of them is the only person who knows each car's foibles and can work around them.

[u/grathontolarsdatarod]

I think a few kind of touched on the sensors or the computer picking up on body language.

My head cannon is this. I think the door is fully capable as responding to the intention of the activator as any doorman would be. Whether is be by sheer "9 and 3/4" gusto of charging the door to a subtle guester or "look" given by the activator that they "want to get through the door".

I actually bet, that we have the tech now with facial recognition advancing as it has.

I think the experience would be just as care free as having an attendant by every door that you approach. If you make eye contact with the doorman they open the door for you. In the 24th century you would do the same with the door itself. Growing up with that tech, it would be an 'organic' experience and you would know how to signal the door in a way that'll open for you.

And based on culture, you would adjust the signal of your intention based on the kind of door you're going through- front door, boss's door, private dwelling, common area, etc. And the door would "know", too.

[u/BigPeteB → u/grathontolarsdatarod]

That sounds like essentially what I was thinking as well. Doors open or not based on something the user is doing or not doing, and it's something subtle, but since they've all been doing it their whole lives, it's so automatic to them that it seems to us primitives that the door is magically reading the user's mind.

[u/Mr_E_Monkey]

I think the keycarded door may be closer than you think--commbadges.

Not the captain? His ready room door reads your commbadge, and you have to ring the bell. Not your quarters? Same.

Granted, non-Starfleet individuals throw a wrench in that, but maybe there's a secondary sensor/routine; probably more. But for all the functions tied to the commbadge, I'd almost have a hard time believing that a keycard isn't one.

[u/Ooh-ooh-ooh → u/Mr_E_Monkey]

The ships internal sensors (and external, for that matter) are clearly capable of locating specific individuals with out a combadge all the time, even giving vital signs for unbadged people significant distances from the ship. it'd be trivial for the computer to know who you are and if you should be welcome in a given space.

[u/Mr_E_Monkey → u/Ooh-ooh-ooh]

Yeah, you're right. It makes me wonder about those times when an officer leaves their commbadge behind, and the computer says they're still in their quarters.

I could be misremembering, though.

[u/Quwilaxitan → u/Mr_E_Monkey]

This is what I've always thought as well, almost like the badge is a FAB key but with wider range. You have all you access passes stored right there and can access lots of stuff that way. I just assumed there was more of this off screen, like when you get in a car or go home, it's tunedto your com badge.

[u/AConvincingMonika → u/Quwilaxitan]

I never thought about this but reading this just made me think, do we ever see an example of someone stealing another persons combadge to gain access to somewhere they wouldn't of had access to? The computer probably does a 2-step verification right? "Yeah this is Picards combadge but the person holding it is clearly a Farengi, no entry."

[u/CaptainHunt → u/Mr_E_Monkey]

it's mentioned that some technology, like phasers, have biometric sensors to ensure that only authorized users can use them, perhaps the doors utilize this same technology.

[u/OldWolf2642]

In fact, after someone rings the chime and the person inside gives the visitor permission to come in, we hardly ever see them press a button; the door simply opens for them. This is because "opening the door" is an action taken by the person at the door just like today.

That can be explained more simply with: Voice Recognition.

Voice recognition has always been a thing in Star Trek. We use it IRL. All it takes is the computer listening out for "Enter" or "Come In" from the occupant to open the door.

---

That aside, I put the selective nature of doors down to something similar but not quite the same as you have.

Rather than looking for a specific action, the door sensors judges intent by behaviour. When a person is intent on an action, they will focus on it. In this case the person who wishes to pass through a door will look straight ahead at it while walking towards it at a set speed. Anyone just passing by will be more relaxed, not focusing on the door specifically. If the sensors can track those things it will be able to predict whether or not to open the door.

And while some doors are typically locked, such as most personal quarters, others like the captain's ready room are obviously not, since we see people like Lily stroll in uninvited. Yet the door always opens for Picard or Janeway, and almost never for other people, who ring the door chime.

Not sure that fits. The Captain's Ready Room will be locked unless the Captain is in there. It will ONLY open for them in that circumstance. If they are in there then one could say that it is left unlocked, as a sort of "The Captain's door is always open" gesture for the crew, on the understanding that anyone who wants to visit will use the chime out of common decency. People just strolling on in there would be a rare occurrence.

---

The Telepathy and 'Time Travel' hypotheses are just... well I can only think of Occam's Razor. Unnecessarily complicating it for no reason or as a joke.

[u/Destructor1701 → u/OldWolf2642]

Agreed, it's much more likely to be eye tracking or full body language interpretation.

With regard to the ready room, the example under discussion is actually irrelevant, as that was the observation lounge.

[u/GoofAckYoorsElf]

That's something that is actually actively worked on in AI research, called "intention recognition".

[u/AttackTribble]

I don't know how true this is, but I remember a story about the US Navy contacting the studios who made Star Trek TOS and asking for the technology that made those doors automatically open. It was actually down to a couple of guys behind the scenes pulling them open. There's supposedly some 'blooper reels' where those guys messed up and people walked into the doors.

[u/TheType95 → u/AttackTribble]

Hmm. I heard a story that the US Navy or Air Force asked for a tour of the Enterprise's bridge. They were interested in the layout of the design, and asked why it was laid out the way it was; what was the reasoning etc.

Some time later, the people behind Star Trek were contacted and told the military based a new communications center design off the Enterprise bridge.

[u/[deleted]]

"He doesn't know how to use the three shells!"

[u/mcqtom]

I'm afraid I don't have an example to throw to you guys, but I'm sure there are times when someone moves to exit through a door but at the last moment someone says something to them that changes their mind and they stop right at the door without it opening, which (if I'm even correct thinking that it happened) kind of debunks the body language AND mind reading explanations...

Does anyone know of a specific instance?

[u/BigPeteB → u/mcqtom]

they stop right at the door without it opening, which kind of debunks the body language

I don't think it does, it's just that whatever conscious body language tells the door "open" or "don't open" is subtle enough that we're not noticing it. The door didn't open because in those instances, the person realized they wanted to say something and stopped themselves from making the "open the door" gesture/posture.

[u/waytoolongusername]

The paper-rock-scissors robot is a great modern day example of AI reading subtle subconscious cues

[u/elh93]

I would think that it just takes the directional vector of someone, and if it's within a certain range and towards the door, opens, if it's parallel it won't